Tesla Model S

8/10

Wired

Big battery and quick-charging potential keep range anxiety in check. Electric drivetrain keeps the center of gravity ultra-low, making it an impressive handler for its size. Massive touchscreen not only looks good, but works well.

Tired

Lack of voice controls are a massive misstep. Sun visors are so small, you’ll be lucky to block out a candle. Volume and climate controls could still use some polish.

That test drive was brief. Too brief. Like everyone in attendance, my time behind the wheel was limited to a few ticks over ten minutes, making it impossible to fully judge the legitimacy of the new vehicle. Although I came away impressed with the Model S’s potential, I questioned whether Tesla had cloaked the real-world functionality of its innovative new sport sedan in an elaborately choreographed press event, complete with a presidential-candidate-style cameo by the automaker’s rockstar co-founder and CEO, Elon Musk.

So after publishing my initial impressions, I rang up Tesla and made a simple request: Give us a Model S for a multi-day loan. Let us drive it the way we want to drive it, bereft of brand-minders and corporate lackeys. Let us see if the S can really hack it — through traffic, on the highway, over backroads and beyond.

Tesla agreed, and loaned us a Model S for the better part of four days. But it wasn’t just any specimen off the lot — it was Musk’s personal car.

Tesla loaned us a Model S for four days. But it wasn’t just any specimen off the lot — it was Tesla co-founder and CEO Elon Musk’s personal car.

This means two things. First, it’s outfitted with a revised “Version 2″ air suspension, along with half-inch-wider rear wheels, revised suspension bushings and end links, and Michelin PS2 sport tires. This could be offered as a “Performance Plus” upgrade for the standard Performance Model S, and is based on feedback from both Musk and his engineers. Second, Musk’s sedan was assuredly shaken down with the finest of fine-tooth combs before landing in the Wired parking lot, ensuring that every single panel, trim piece, software function and drivetrain component met his exacting specifications. Is this an accurate representation of what every Model S buyer will drive off the lot? We were personally assured by Mr. Musk that it is, sans suspensions tweaks.

As for the stats, specs and pricing, check out my original first-drive report for the details. This Model S — a Signature Series (the title of “Founder” is etched into the aluminum rear trim) with the Performance package — carries a base price of $87,900, but Musk’s model is spec’d well over the $100k mark.

For that kind of coin, you get a high-performance drive inverter that outputs 416 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque, the latter of which is available from zero RPM. And because there’s no gearbox, no pistons, no valves, or differentials to churn through before the power reaches the ground, you’re left with just pure, unadulterated acceleration.

The quoted zero to 60 mph time of 4.4 seconds (3.9 if you go by Motor Trend‘s testing methodology) is almost irrelevant. It’s the point-and-squirt acceleration at nearly any speed that shocks and delights while devouring the road ahead. Nail the throttle at 40 mph and you’re up to 60, then 70 then 90 in less time than it takes to read this sentence. I don’t care how fast you read.

That level of performance wouldn’t be uncharacteristic for something twice as costly, with half as many doors and weighing far less than the Telsa’s claimed curb weight of over 4,600 pounds. It is — for all intents and purposes — pure energy being laid to the ground with a rapidity that’s more roller-coaster freefall than four-wheeled family transport. And it’s more exhilarating than anything I’ve driven out of Sant’Agata, Stuttgart or even Maranello.

More impressive than the sheer speed of a sedan this size is its level of grip and handling. This is largely attributable to the fact that the massive, four-inch-tall, 85-kWh battery pack is housed mere inches from the ground — it makes the Tesla not just a competent handler, but an architectural marvel that’s sure to cause furrowed brows and OCD-level head-scratching among German engineers. Even with only the rear wheels driven, the Model S has enough tarmac-biting traction to give all-wheel-drive sports sedans pause and concern, and when trundling along on the freeway or around town, the ride is connected and composed, yet hugely comfortable.

If there’s any demerit in the driving department, it’s a subtle disconnect and pause in the steering movement — even when set to “Sport” — as the weight shifts at the polar moment of inertia. Not even an oh-so-low center of gravity combined with the bespoke battery pack acting as an integrated stress member are enough to counter a curb weight this high. But props to the Tesla team for getting the S this dialed in right out of the box. Well, after said suspension update….

Photo by Ariel Zambelich/Wired

If you’re looking for on-road presence, the Model S has it in spades, particularly here in the Bay Area, where a Tesla draws a crowd like someone waving an iPhone 5 outside an Apple Store on launch day.

The exterior is elegant, demure and aggressive all at once. Nicely done, Franz.

The interior is more of a mixed bag. The cockpit is spartan, but fitting of the Tesla ethos, with supple, supportive seats, ample legroom fore and aft, and two trunks (over 30 cubic feet in total). Our tester’s rear cargo area was equipped with an optional pair of child-sized buckets that may or may not meet federal crash regulations. Remember: Musk has five kids and wants to bring them all on his next road trip.

Tesla says over 95 percent of the Model S’ parts are original, but the obvious bits that aren’t bespoke are visible to the driver: the window switches, turn signal, windshield wiper and cruise control stalks are all pulled from Mercedes-Benz. If you’re going to dip into the parts bin, might as well pick from some of the world’s best. (Also, Daimler, Mercedes-Benz’ parent, is a stakeholder in Tesla.)

And then there’s the touchscreen. That glorious, 17-inch gift to driver-distraction alarmists. But here’s the reality check: It’s really, really damned good, proving to be both incredibly intuitive and surprisingly interference-free.

Just the sheer size of the NVIDIA-powered, capacitive display makes interacting with maps (complete with pinch-to-zoom tiles supplied by Google), audio controls, energy data, and even a full-on 3G-connected web browser, a pleasure. No, Flash isn’t enabled and you can’t run HTML5 videos. I hear some Apple engineers defected to Tesla to work on the user interface, and it shows.

The climate control is set-it-and-forget-it easy (a priority, according to Musk), although I’d prefer if the right redundant control on the steering wheel allowed you to adjust fan speed rather than cabin temperature. And even though the climate settings are slightly hidden inside the touchscreen’s UI, once you press the skeuomorphic faux-aluminum controller, the touch points are large enough as to minimize the time your eyes are off the road. It’s a model of what automakers should strive for when it comes to touchscreen technology, but just like its counterparts in the consumer electronics world, it collects finger smudges en masse. Tesla thoughtfully includes a cloth in the glovebox to wipe it down.

Equally appealing, if now less original, is the customizable instrument panel that takes the place of traditional gauges. The center display shows the speed and amount of juice currently used, with a redundant digital speedometer mounted in the middle. To either the right or left, you can choose from range data, audio information, phone interactions, or navigation directions, the last of which was incredibly helpful for turn-by-turn instructions, while the massive touchscreen provided both a trip overview and upcoming waypoints. Also, the stereo — which had varying levels of success reading my iPhone’s playlists over Bluetooth and a USB cable — has a volume knob that goes up to 11. Cute, but I’d rather have seen some additional intermediary levels in the lower volume ranges that would’ve allowed me to more easily carry on a conversation while still listening to tunes.

Something else I’d like to have seen: voice controls. They aren’t available at launch, and according to Musk, will only be deployed through an update “when voice controls actually work.” Tesla is in talks with Google to supply the technology, so it should be solid when it eventually arrives. But for now, voice controls are shockingly notable in their absence, and there’s even a switch on the steering wheel to remind you as much. The fact that one of the world’s most technologically advanced vehicle ships without voice controls contributes to the feeling that the Model S is more “Gold Master” than finished product.

Plug me in. Photo by Ariel Zambelich/Wired

But let’s get to the million-dollar questions: What about range and charge times? As with any modern car, it’s completely dependent on both the available infrastructure and how you drive.

During my four-day stint, I put nearly 350 miles on the Model S, mainly comprised of runs around town, strings of errands, and the commute from my house in Oakland across the bridge to San Francisco — stuff the average owner would throw at it. During those jaunts, the charge depleted at a rate that seemed perfectly in line with a traditionally powered sedan of this size, with anywhere between 22 and 30 kWh consumed.

The lone outlier was a 140-plus-mile trip intended to mimic a weekend cruise. It included city driving, 80 miles of freeway, and a spirited, 20-mile blast through the hills of Altamont, California. Just like in any other vehicle, when you’re caning it hard, energy consumption goes through the roof.

Unlike the Tesla Roadster Sport I tested some two years ago, the Model S was completely fault-free when it came to speed and prowess, no matter the conditions or abuse. But the range remains a sticking point — the 42-mile drive home was an exercise in butt-puckering throttle moderation as I rolled into my driveway with only a single mile left on the battery.

Can the Model S hit its EPA-certified 265-mile range? Based on my time behind the wheel, there’s no doubt.

Can the Model S hit its EPA-certified 265-mile range? Based on my time behind the wheel, there’s no doubt. But if you want to satiate that atavistic thirst for pavement-pummeling torque on a regular basis, be prepared to top off the cells with frequency.

When it comes time to charge up, you’ve got a few options. While Tesla isn’t adopting the Society of Automotive Engineers’ (SAE) standardized plug, the company does offer an adaptor to allow charging at power stations outside your home. But the reason for avoiding the SAE standard isn’t because of some proprietary charging strategy. At least, not completely.

You can use the 120-volt, Level 1 and 240-volt Level 2 power charge port, but you can also hop on board with Tesla’s 480-volt Level 3 “Supercharger” system, which can supposedly fill half the 85 kWh battery’s cells in around 30 minutes. We’ll be hearing more about that later when Tesla announces its fleet of charging stations strewn about California.

Back at home, if you use Tesla’s High-Power Wall Connector, combined with the Model S’ 20 kilowatts of onboard charging capacity and a 100-amp circuit, you can top up the pack in just over five hours. For me, running a scant 24 amps, it took closer to 12. Time to upgrade my dryer outlet.

The real question I asked when driving the Model S was, simply: Would it suit my day-to-day needs for commuting, hauling and the occasional backroad blast? And the answer is a resounding, unequivocal, “yes.”

Tesla hasn’t just created a fully functional EV. It’s made a vehicle that’s both incredibly engaging and fully practical. As with any car, compromises were made — we’ll be delving into those more deeply on future Autopia reports, so stay tuned — but as a whole, the Model S feels and drives like the future. It’s a rolling testament to the potential of automotive innovation, and a massive leap forward for an industry struggling to stake a claim in the 21st century.